Success

Once upon a time, there was a large mountainside, where an eagle's nest rested. The eagle's nest contained four large eagle eggs. One day an earthquake rocked the mountain causing one of the eggs to roll down the mountain, to a chicken farm, located in the valley below. The chickens knew that they must protect and care for the eagle's egg, so an old hen volunteered to nurture and raise the large egg.

One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born. Sadly, however, the eagle was raised to be a chicken. Soon, the eagle believed he was nothing more than a chicken. The eagle loved his home and family, but his spirit cried out for more. While playing a game on the farm one day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a group of mighty eagles soaring in the skies. "Oh," the eagle cried, "I wish I could soar like those birds." The chickens roared with laughter, "You cannot soar with those birds. You are a chicken and chickens do not soar."

The eagle continued staring, at his real family up above, dreaming that he could be with them. Each time the eagle would let his dreams be known, he was told it couldn't be done. That is what the eagle learned to believe. The eagle, after time, stopped dreaming and continued to live his life like a chicken. Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away.

The moral of the story: You become what you believe you are; so if you ever dream to become an eagle follow your dreams, not the words of a chicken.

We need to not listen to what people tell us, but follow our own dreams with a sense of determination. This is today my topic is about success..

If we were to compare those successful people with the not so successful ones, what is the difference? What is that secret ingredient to success? Why are some people successful, while others stay stuck in unpleasant circumstances? As I began my search for the answers, I noticed one common denominator in all of the people who were successful. HARD WORK. They worked hard to get where they are.

It's so frustrating when we see others that seem to have it so easy. They are driving around in nice cars, living in beautiful homes and enjoying the good life. Their success seems so effortless. What we don't see is the years of constant work, struggle and yes, even failures that got them to where they are today. We don't see the inner fears they had to overcome in order to be so confident and successful.

It's important to realize that success does not belong only to those who have high-priced educations. Success does not belong only to those who have money. Success does not belong only to those who are "lucky." Success belongs only to those who are willing to work for it.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. Because if you love what you are doing, what you are doing will succeed.

This is a little primer on how to start, survive and finish a journey to super success and I want to share it with you.

These are the secrets to success. S Ð'- E Ð'- C Ð'- R Ð'- E Ð'- T - S.

S: Sense of purpose: On a clear, bright sunny day take a powerful magnifying glass and a stack of newspapers and go outside for an experiment. Hold the magnifying glass over a pile of crumpled pages. Even though you are magnifying the power of the sun's rays through the glass lens, you can never start a fire if you keep moving the glass.

But if you hold the magnifying glass still, allowing all of the rays to focus on one spot, in one concentrated beam of energy, you can start a fire. Our mind can be compared to that magnifying glass and our energy to the energy of the sun. Focus your energy in what you want and work for it. You need goals, a clear vision of what you want, and an understanding of your destination. Live with intention. A sense of purpose is your treasure map. Without it, you are like a piece of cork floating on the ocean; the wind, waves, currents, and tides determine your direction. It's normal for distractions to arise. Ignore the distractions. A sense of purpose keeps you on track.

E: Excellence: Be the best you can be, at everything you do. If you were to recall a day when you are supremely satisfied in the end, it's not a day where you lounge around doing nothing. It's a day when you've had everything to do and you've done it. If you don't commit to, and demand excellence, you broadcast that you accept mediocrity or weakness. Acceptance of mediocrity demonstrates you don't care. If you don't care, how can you expect anyone else to? First rate attracts first rate. Excellence stands far ahead from the crowd.

C: Contribution: Doing for others, service and giving or what we as Hindus term as "Sewaa". As Winston Churchill said,

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

You can have anything in life that you want, if you help enough other people get what they want. Rewards are a result, not a goal. They are proportional to how much you are willing to give, but only if you give without the expectation of receiving. All of your actions will come full circle, but there's no way to know when, where or how.

R: Responsibility: Take 100% responsibility for your life. Don't blame others. Doing so dooms you to a life of frustration and disappointment. Success or failure, everyone is self-made. You are responsible for where you are today. If you don't like your situation, change it.

E: Effort: There is no shortcut or substitute for focus and hard work. Ignore those who may try to throw you off-track.

We need to turn a deaf ear on those who try to deter us from our goals. Work smart and hard. Anything worthwhile takes effort. Exceed what is expected. When an airplane takes off, all engines are set to full throttle. Once airborne, the engines are throttled back for level flight. However, power has to be increased in response to turbulence or to go higher. Life works the same way. All endeavors require 110% effort to get them off the ground. Once things get going, you can throttle back and enjoy the results of your efforts.

T: Time management: Set priorities. Each day has only 24 hours. There is the comparison of time to a bank account. If we had a bank which credits us with $86,400 each day, what would you do? No matter how much you use the previous day, the new balance goes to $86,400 the following day. Naturally you would use